Danger from stray dogs

National focus on rabies
Nghe An is one of the key provinces in the country for rabies. Since 2008, there have been over 60 deaths due to rabid dog bites in the province. Also in the past 10 years, the Ministry of Health has chosen Nghe An 3 times to launch campaigns on rabies prevention and control...

Many people in Hung Trung commune (Hung Nguyen district) are still haunted by the memories of the days they lived in fear of dogs. In 2016, dogs in this commune suddenly went mad. Within just 2 months, 30 people were bitten by dogs. Among them, 1 victim died.
In mid-June 2016, Ms. Hoang Thi Hao (38 years old), had just returned home from buying scrap metal when her neighbor's dog suddenly attacked her. Bitten on the leg, Ms. Hao was treated by a health worker in the neighborhood and advised to get a rabies vaccination. However, the woman then only went to the district hospital for a tetanus vaccination but not a rabies vaccination and then bought traditional medicine to take herself. More than 2 months later, Ms. Hao had a rabies attack and died, leaving behind 6 children.

Image of a dog roaming free without a muzzle on the streets of Vinh City. Photo: Tien Hung

In mid-September 2018, residents of Hamlet 10, Nghi Truong Commune (Nghi Loc) rushed to vaccinate their dogs after the death of an 8-year-old boy in the hamlet. A few days earlier, the homeroom teacher discovered that Tran Ngoc Nh. had symptoms of rabies and informed his family. The victim was taken to the hospital but was sent back “because it was too late”.

Before the victim died, there were hundreds of households raising dogs in this hamlet, but only over 30 had vaccinated their pets. Nh. is also the fourth victim to die from a rabid dog bite in Nghi Loc district within a few months.

Dogs are allowed to roam freely in many localities. Photo: Thanh Cuong

At the end of December 2018, NTK (7 years old), residing in Hung Dung Ward (Vinh City) was bitten by a dog and had to be hospitalized with severe bleeding in the face such as forehead, eyes, ears, etc., causing facial deformity. After receiving the child, Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital promptly performed surgery, used antibiotics, anti-edema, pain relievers, and at the same time allowed the family to take the child to the Provincial Preventive Medicine Center for rabies and tetanus vaccination.

Previously, children TTHY (1 year old), residing in Nam Son commune, Do Luong district and N.D.H. (2 years old), residing in Dien Ky commune, Dien Chau district were also hospitalized in critical condition due to dog bites. The children were all attacked by dogs in the face, with dozens of injuries.

In recent days, the whole country was shocked by the story of a pack of 10 dogs owned by Ms. Le Thi An's family, residing in Luong Bang town, Kim Dong district (Hung Yen), who, while let loose, attacked and bit a 7-year-old neighbor's child on his way home from school, causing the victim to die.

The pack of dogs that mauled a 7-year-old boy to death in Hung Yen was removed from the residential area by authorities. Photo: baotintuc

Many people are victims of stray dogs, and in fact there are many related regulations. However, many people, and even local authorities, seem to be indifferent to this danger.
No pet owners have been fined yet.
According to the Nghe An Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, the province currently has nearly 520,000 dogs being raised in households, most of which are free-range. However, only 20% of these dogs are vaccinated.

In November 2017, the People's Committee of Nghe An province issued a Plan on the Implementation of the National Program to Control and Eliminate Rabies in the Province for the 2018-2021 period. The Plan clearly states: Dog owners are responsible for registering their dog raising with the People's Committee at the commune level; reporting their dog raising to the head of the residential group/hamlet/village, and committing to keep (or chain) their dog within the family's premises; when taking their dog out in public, they must wear a muzzle or chain. In addition, dog owners are required to vaccinate their dogs and cats against rabies and pay for the vaccination costs. The People's Committee of Nghe An province supports vaccination costs for the poor in high-risk areas...

However, rabies prevention and control has not yet received attention from local authorities and people, lacks cooperation and still relies on veterinary agencies.

Only 20% of the 520,000 dogs in the province have been vaccinated against rabies. Photo: Tien Hung

In addition, according to Decree 05/2007 on rabies prevention and control, when raising dogs, they must be chained and kept in cages and kept clean. When taking dogs out in public or densely populated areas, they must be led and muzzled.

In addition, pet owners must regularly monitor their pets. If they detect that their animals are showing unusual signs or are biting or scratching people or other animals for no reason, they must monitor them and immediately report to the veterinary staff at the commune or ward level.

Article 295 of the Penal Code clearly stipulates violations of regulations on labor safety, labor hygiene, and safety in crowded places. Specifically, if a dog does not have a muzzle and bites a person, causing injury or damage to the health of another person with an injury rate of 61% or more or causing death, the dog owner may be fined from 20 to 100 million VND, sentenced to non-custodial reform for up to 3 years, or imprisoned from 1 to 5 years. In addition to criminal liability, the dog owner must also compensate the person bitten by the dog according to the provisions of the Civil Code.